Ancient Egypt

was a civilization of ancient Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in the place that is now the country Egypt. It is one of six historic civilizations to arise independently. Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt and coalesced around 3150 BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology) with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under Menes (often identified with Narmer). The history of ancient Egypt occurred as a series of stable kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods: the Old Kingdom of the Early Bronze Age, the Middle Kingdom of the Middle Bronze Age and the New Kingdom of the Late Bronze Age. Egypt reached the pinnacle of its power in the  New Kingdom , during the Ramesside period, where it rivalled the  Hittite Empire ,  Assyrian Empire  and  Mitanni   Empire , after which it entered a period of slow decline. Egypt was invaded or conquered by a succession of foreign powers, such as the  Canaanites / Hyksos ,  Libyans , the  Nubians , the  Assyrians ,  Babylonians , the  Achaemenid Persians , and the  Macedonians  in the  Third Intermediate Period  and the  Late Period of Egypt . In the aftermath of  Alexander the Great 's death, one of his generals,  Ptolemy Soter , established himself as the new ruler of Egypt. This Greek  Ptolemaic Kingdom  ruled Egypt until 30 BC, when, under  Cleopatra , it fell to the  Roman Empire  and became  a Roman province . The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the  Nile River valley for agriculture . The predictable  flooding  and controlled  irrigation  of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which supported a more dense population, and  social development  and culture. With resources to spare, the  administration  sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and surrounding desert regions, the early development of an independent  writing system , the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects, trade with surrounding regions, and  a military  intended to defeat foreign enemies and assert Egyptian dominance. Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite  scribes , religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a pharaoh, who ensured the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people in the context of an elaborate system of  religious beliefs . The many achievements of the  ancient Egyptians  include the quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that supported the building of monumental  pyramids ,  temples , and  obelisks ; a system of  mathematics , a practical and effective  system of medicine , irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques, the first known planked boats,  Egyptian faience  and glass technology, new forms of  literature , and the  earliest known peace treaty , made with the  Hittites . Egypt left a lasting legacy. Its  art  and  architecture  were widely copied, and its antiquities carried off to far corners of the world. Its monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of travelers and writers for centuries. A new-found respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period by Europeans and Egyptians led to the  scientific investigation  of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy. 1History 1.1Predynastic period 1.2Early Dynastic Period (c. 3050–2686 BC) 1.3Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BC) 1.4First Intermediate Period (2181–1991 BC) 1.5Middle Kingdom (2134–1690 BC) 1.6Second Intermediate Period (1674–1549 BC) and the Hyksos 1.7New Kingdom (1549–1069 BC) 1.8Third Intermediate Period (1069–653 BC) 1.9Late Period (672–332 BC) 1.10Ptolemaic period (332-30 BC) 1.11Roman period (30BC-641) 2Government and economy 2.1Administration and commerce 2.2Social status 2.3Legal system 2.4Agriculture 2.4.1Animals 2.5Natural resources 2.6Trade 3Language 3.1Historical development 3.2Sounds and grammar 3.3Writing 3.4Literature 4Culture 4.1Daily life 4.2Cuisine 4.3Architecture 4.4Art 4.5Religious beliefs 4.6Burial customs 5Military 6Technology, medicine, and mathematics 6.1Technology 6.2Faience and glass 6.3Medicine 6.4Maritime technology 6.5Mathematics